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November 16, 2006
finished...
so, i finished the road less traveled this morning. it was amazing. even in these past few days, some of the things the author said helped me to look at situations in my life a lot differently.
one thing that was a great point was the idea that problems in your life (whether in your attitude, circumstances, etc) can actually be manifestations of grace. we often view grace as the RELIEF from such irritations and inconveniences. however, the author--m. scott peck, argues that these troubles are grace in that their appearance in our lives are 1) usually an indication of some kind of soul problem 2) give us the opportunity to change/grow by making us aware of the problem.
that took me back to the thoughts that i've had about pain for a long time. while i was still in high school, i read a book by philip yancey and dr. paul brandt called fearfully and wonderfully made. this book was based on dr. brandt's experiences working with sufferers of leprosy (i'm sure i've blogged on and/or talked most people's ears off about this already, so i'll make it brief). dr. brandt, more than most people, sees pain as a gift, a manifestation of grace, because it lets us know when we're hurting ourselves. people afflicted with leprosy cannot feel pain (due to nerve problems) and subsequently do great damage to their bodies without knowing it (thus the loss of fingers, arms, legs, etc).
anyway, so if trials/hardships/bad attitudes/etc are manifestations of grace, then why are we so resistant to it? m. scott offers that idea that it is simply because of laziness. for him, laziness=unlove. to accept grace is to assert a will to grow, to change, to enter uncharted territory. while an immensely joy-filled journey, the journey of grace is the most difficult journey a person can attempt to trek.
he says, " The call to grace is a call to a life of effortful caring, to a life of service and whatever sacrifice seems required. It is a call out of spiritual childhood into adulthood..." (p. 301).
please don't be confused, he isn't saying that grace is something you work towards. he spends a whole chapter exploring the paradox. that while you can, in effort, prepare yourself for the arrival of grace, inevitably it will find you.
he relates grace to the idea of seredipity (pleeease do not think about the chick flick, focus with me people). he defines seredipity as "...the learned capacity to recognize and utliize the gifts of grace which are given to us from beyond the realm of our conscious will" (p. 309).
part of the pain of grace is God nurturing us to be prepared for greater communion with Him and greater desire and awareness to know Him. of course He has to work us through the painful process of discipline so as to eliminate the laziness and fear that so often controls us. but He is ever-present on the journey.
m. scott defines love as the extending of one's self for the spiritual growth of another. well, isn't that what God has done for us?
a few last thoughts (sorry to spoil the ending of the book for you...)...
"The existence of grace is prima facie evidence not of the reality of God but also of the reality that God's will is devoted to the growth of the individual human spirit. What once seemed to be a fairy tale has turns out to be reality. We live our lives in the eye of God, and not at the periphery of his vision, but at the center of His vision, His concern. It is probable that the universe as we know it is but a single stepping-stone toward entrance to the Kingdom of God. But we are hardly lost in the universe. To the contrary, the reality of grace indicates that humanity is to be at the center of the universe...Through grace we are helped not to stumble and through grace we know we are being welcomed [into the Kingdom of God]. What more can we ask?" (p. 311).
well, i don't know if this was a coherent post or not, or if you'll agree with him or me, but now it's out there...i'm still processing, as i'm sure most of us are.
here's to putting one foot in front of the other on this journey...
Posted by Autumn at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2006
the road less traveled...
so, i'm reading this book, called the road less traveled by m. scott peck. it was written in 1978 and was recommended to me by one of my undergraduate philosophy professors. a few years ago, i found a copy at a garage sale, picked it up for a quarter, and it had been sitting on my shelf ever since. i'm not really sure why i decided to read it this week, but i have and i've found it quite insightful.
a few things about the author... i'm pretty sure that the guy isn't a christian, although he is VERY spiritually oriented. he's a psychiatrist and most of his writing is based off of his years of clinical experience.
as i've mentioned before on here, i think i'm becoming a critical enough of a consumer to effectively parcel out the good stuff he's saying and to leave the junk by the way side.
a few things about the book...it's divided up into a few sections. 1. discipline 2. love 3. religion and growth 4. grace
i've finished the discipline section (which was really good) and am in the love section. he starts off by discussing what love IS NOT in order to get to what love IS. the first couple chapters discuss the phenomenon of falling in love and the myths associated with romantic love.
i suppose it's important to note that he defines real love as: the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.
there have been a couple of quotes from these chapters that i wanted to share and possibly get your feedback on. the first, i think is true but i can't imagine saying to someone in a counseling setting. the second, i think, really reflects what God is trying to get across to us about love, but that we often times miss. so, here goes...
[on misunderstanding human love as one's personal fulfillment]: Consequently, they are endlessly angry, because they endlessly feel let down by otheres who can never in reality fulfill all their needs or "make" them happy. I have a colleague who often tells people
"Look, allowing yourself to be dependent on another person is the worst possible thing you can do to yourself. You would be better off being dependent on heroin. As long as you have a supply of it, heroin will never let you down; if it's there, it will always make you happy. But if you expect another person to make you happy, you'll be endlessly disappointed."
[on love]: Love is not simply giving; it is judicious giving and judicious withholding as well. It is judicious praising and judicious criticizing. it is judicious arguing, struggling, confronting, urging, pushing and pulling in additon to comforting. It is leadership. The word "judicious" means requiring judgment, and judgment requires more than instinct; it requires thoughtful and often painful decisionmaking.
isn't that at least somewhat true of how God handles us?
anyway, i'll keep reading and thinking...
Posted by Autumn at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2006
so i know...
...this blog entry is most likely going to cause some reactions about people who are much more informed and passionate about these things than i, but i've decided to not let that deter me from posting...
so, my boss just cheered from across the office at the news that rumsfeld is resigning. interestingly enough [though not the point of this short blog], the guy who's been nominated for the position was former CIA, but is now the present of Texas A & M--talk about a non-linear career path.
anyway, it just started a conversation with my boss about iraq, the war, the united states, etc. i should say that i don't have a strong opinion about the war, whether or not we should be in iraq, if we should be there, if we're doing what we should be, etc. i should also say this post has nothing to do with my views on the military. so now you're saying get ON with it, autumn. okay, okay...
it strikes me that the united states has a lot of arrogance (okay, so that's not profound). here we are, a toddler of a country, only a couple of hundred years old, tackling issues in other cultures/civilizations that have been around for a LOT longer. we are aware of some of the issues that have caused these problems to arise in these countries over time, but are we WISE enough to examine our own country and determine whether or not we're on the same path?
let's face it, in my opinion (though i admit i might very well be wrong), there is little we can really do to prevent another country from attacking us. if there's a will, there's going to be a way. what we CAN do is turn inward, do some country evaluation, and become more unified internally. maybe, probably, this is a pipe dream. but doesn't it at least make a little sense?
if we were to do this, at least then when country x/y/z attacks us, we have spent the time to have a people, a nation, who are a) invested in their country and its protection and b) already trained to work TOGETHER in conflicts.
alright, i don't want to go off on this too much more, mainly, i'm interested in a dialogue here people. so, lend me your thoughts...
Posted by Autumn at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2006
my V day experience...
so, today, as all my tuesdays was very long...
it started by my early arrival at campus to administer course evaluations for the 8am section of psych 101.
it ended shortly after 6pm when my graduate lab meeting concluded.
as i was walking out of science one, i was still undecided about whether i would make it to vote. i was definitely feeling the pressure. while it might not be the norm for most undergraduates to take the time to vote, almost EVERYONE i run into in my classes now is politically involved and definitely voted today.
so, i was walking to the bus stop and decided, if this bus takes me to the udcc instead of to the corner of hyland, i'll vote. the bus made it to the bus stop slightly before me, so i started to jog a little, got to the bus door, the bus driver was looking the other direction and pulled away without me.
haha, that was my first experience at having the other people at the bus stop look at you like, "sucks to be you."
so i decide i might as well wait a few minutes to see what the next bus brings. sure enough, it's a bus that goes to the stop by friley.
now you might be wondering why i was going to the udcc since i don't live in uda anymore. well, the last time i voted, i did live there and being the procrastinator that i am, i never got around to changing my address. part of my indecision to vote was because the last time i voted, i also saw several people publically chastised for having the wrong address on their form. and then they were sent away. did they end up voting? i'll never know.
and i knew that was the fate that awaited me at the udcc. nonetheless, i bravely walked in room 134, approached the table and confessed i knew i was at the wrong place. sure enough, i was on their list but of course, couldn't vote. BUT, much to my surprise, they were kind and helpful and pointed me in the direction of the presbyterian church.
when i got there, i had to wait in line a little while. not because so many people were voting but because EVERY person that was coming in was there to change their address and then vote. yay for that.
so anyway, about an hour later, i got the job done. i got my sticker and the right to have strong opinions on the issues for the next year :)
Posted by Autumn at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2006
Isaiah 41:9-10
You all have probably read these verses plenty of times. But how often do you read them with MY THOUGHTS interjected?
I took you from the fartherst ends of the earth [those dark, remote places that you wandered to in rebellion], from its farthest corners I called you [I know you're not always paying attention so I did EVERYTHING to make my voice apparent].
I said 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. [You work for me, but even as you work for me, I am working for you. In order to qualify you to work for me, I have cleared your accounts. I have always known that I wanted you to work for me, to be a part of my staff, my family, so I made it possible].
So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God [I know that working for me will be hard, I never intended for it to be that way, but please, do not lose sight of who I am. My goodness, the goodness of your calling, will not always be obvious to you, but I promise you it is worth it for I am a good and powerful Master].
I will strengthen you and help you; [I WANT you to succeed at the tasks I have for you]
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand [I do not expect you to succeed without my help. I've been at this job for a long time, I have a lot more resources than you will ever have, so let that attitude go. I willingly offer my hand to help you. Open your hand. Let me take it. Now grip mine tight. We have work to do.]
Isaiah 49:9-10
I know that doesn't say it all, and maybe it doesn't even say it right, but that's what I got :)
Posted by Autumn at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)